Automobiles are subject to a variety of crash tests, including standard tests regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). For example, these tests may be directed toward full frontal impacts, oblique impacts, i.e., impacts that occur at an angle of 10-50 degrees relative to a vehicle's trajectory, side impacts, and rollovers. During these impact events, occupants may move forward and laterally engaging with one or more restraint systems, e.g., seatbelts and airbags, etc.
A seatbelt assembly in a vehicle may include at least one belt, at least one retractor, and at least one buckle. The buckle and the retractor are mounted to the vehicle, e.g., a seat or a body of the vehicle. The belt is retractably extendable from the retractor, and the belt is releasably engageable with the buckle, e.g., with a latch plate slidably engaged with the belt. One type of seatbelt assembly is a three-point seatbelt assembly, in which the belt engages the seat/body of the vehicle at three points, e.g., the retractor, the buckle, and a fixed connection point. In this instance, the belt may extend from a first end in the retractor to a second end fixed to the fixed connection point, and the latch plate may be connected to the buckle to create a third point of attachment to the vehicle. There remains an opportunity to design a restraint system that reduces lateral movement during a variety of impact scenarios.